Painful Memories
by Jediya
Summary: Sequel to Gemstones! Now Complete
1. Teaser

Teaser  
  
A dark haired woman ran through a door that led to what looked like the Halliwell Manor's attic. She was closely followed by a small boy, with the same dark brown hair. The woman looked to be in her 40s but her long hair covered her features. The boy looked about 13-14 and looked at the woman with large fearful green eyes.  
  
"We have to hide the book!" the woman cried, moving over towards the large book resting on top of a pedestal, "can't let him get hold of it!"  
  
She beckoned the boy over to her as she began unfolding a piece of paper. At that moment another woman, slighter younger with lighter hair, burst into the room.  
  
"I couldn't hold him!" she said, in-between gasping for breath, "He's on his way up now!"  
  
The older woman moved the boy into a hiding place behind one of the cabinets and then turned her attention to the newcomer.  
  
"Fine, just say the spell with me quickly!" the urgency in her voice didn't go unnoticed.  
  
They were just about to start chanting when a teenager of about 16-17 with longish blonde hair, charges in.  
  
"Give me the book!" he snarled at the two women.  
  
"No, you can't have it!" the younger woman snapped back.  
  
"If you won't hand it over then it will be taken by force!" he growled.  
  
Suddenly several warlocks and demons materialised around him.  
  
"Depose of them!" he commanded, folding his arms across his chest.  
  
The older woman smirked and simply flicked her hands freezing the demons in place. She then proceeded to blow several warlocks up before the rest adapted to her power.  
  
The younger woman stood there as the remaining warlocks through energy balls at her, which suddenly altered course and took out their users. She then jumped in the air and aimed a kick at the teenager, only he raised his hand and both women were thrown forcefully against the wall.  
  
"Your time is up!" he said, laughing evilly as an energy ball appeared in his hand.  
  
"Wait!" the older woman cried, "You wouldn't kill me surely!" she said, looking pleadingly into his eyes.  
  
The teenager's face softened slightly, "No your right mother," he said quietly but then an evil grin spread across his face, "I couldn't kill you!"  
  
With this he made a fist with his had and the younger woman began to choke. His grin became more intense and he flicked his wrist, the woman jerked and a sickening crack could be heard as her neck snapped and she fell to the floor...dead!  
  
"No!" the older woman cried, moving over to the dead woman, "How could you?" she said, turning tearful eyes towards the teen.  
  
"Sorry mother, but you lot were only standing in my way!" he said, as he telekinetically lifted the book and vanished from the room.  
  
While the woman was crying, she failed to notice the demons unfreeze and one threw an energy ball at her, propelling her across the room to hit the wall and land in a crumpled heap.  
  
The demons then all shimmered out after noticing that their 'master' had already left.  
  
When they had left the dark haired boy emerged from his hiding place and rushed over the dark haired woman.  
  
"Mom?" he queried in a small voice, touching her gently.  
  
"I'm sorry honey," she gasped out placing a weak hand on the boy's face, "so sorry..." she whizzed as he hand fell limply to the floor.  
  
The boy's tears fell heavily as he cradled his dead mother, "No!"  
  
"No!!!" Chris cried as his eyes snapped open and he looked panic-stricken around the room, gasping for breath. He shook violently, his hair plastered to his head and dripping with sweat. He let out a shuddering breath and ran a shaky hand through his hair. Why had that dream returned now? 


	2. Part 1

Part 1  
  
A swirl of white and blue orbs appeared in the Manor's living room and began to form a figure. As Chris materialised completely he heard crashes and cursing.  
  
"Look out!" a shout greeted his ears and he looked up to see a black arrow heading straight for his head. Chris's eyes widened and he threw himself to the ground as the arrow flew over him harmlessly.  
  
"Arrow!" he heard another shout and looked up in time to see Paige redirected the black arrow towards a darklighter. The arrow hit the darklighter and it exploded on impact.  
  
Chris stood up slowly with a puzzled expression on his face.  
  
"Where the hell were you?"  
  
Chris turned around and came face to face with a very angry Piper Halliwell.  
  
"What?" he said confused.  
  
His eyes surveyed the room, which was in bad shape. The grandfather clock was smashed again and it looked like someone or something had landed in the middle of the table and hand broken it in half. Scorch marks could be seen all over the floor and broken china and furniture littered the room.  
  
"We called you ages ago...some help you are!" Piper began ranting earning Chris's undivided attention. "We had to fend off half a dozen darklighters and a demon that we have no clue what or who it was!" she continued, glaring at him.  
  
"I...I didn't..." he started but seeing the expression on his face his head dropped and he looked at the ground, "I'm sorry" he mumbled.  
  
"Pfft! Yeah right!" Piper yelled, "Now if you don't mind I'm going to check on MY son and see if he is alright, no thanks to you!" she shouted at him as she walked out the room and stomped upstairs. If she hadn't left so soon she wouldn't have missed the distraught look that found its way onto Chris's face.  
  
"She's just worried about Wyatt," he heard someone say and noticed Paige and Phoebe approach him, "she was actually worried about you when you didn't show up!" Phoebe said softly trying to comfort her future nephew.  
  
"Yeah you know what with the whole gemstones incident we kind of freak out when you don't turn up straight away," Paige piped up, "Are you ok?" she asked, noticing the strange look on Chris's face.  
  
"Huh! Yeah I'm fine!" Chris replied quickly, "I just err you called me?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah honey....why didn't you hear us?" Phoebe replied, noticing the utterly confused expression on his face.  
  
Chris shook his head and sighed heavily, "I...don't think so," he said, trying to remember if he heard them calling him earlier. They must have called him while he was dreaming.  
  
While Chris was trying to think, Phoebe and Paige shared a concerned look and then looked closer at their future nephew. On closer inspection they could see that his normally bright green eyes were now paler in colour and had large dark circles beneath them. His complexion was a lot paler and his hair was more messed up than normal. They also noticed that his clothes seemed looser, had he lost weight? All put together Chris's appearance was haggard and worrying to his aunts.  
  
"Are you sure you're ok?" Paige questioned him again, "You don't look all that good!"  
  
"I'm fine!" Chris replied very quickly, too quickly for the sisters' liking.  
  
Phoebe stepped forward feeling a whole assortment of different emotions from Chris. "Honey, you're not exactly sending out vibes that tell me you're fine!" she said, concern evident in her voice.  
  
"Phoebe, I said I'm fine! So just leave me the hell alone ok?" Chris snapped reminding both Phoebe and Paige of the time Piper was turned into a Furee.  
  
Not giving them any more chances to question him Chris quickly orbed out and back to his room at P3.  
  
"What's all the yelling about?" Piper asked, as she entered the room carrying Wyatt.  
  
"Where'd Chris go?" she added with a hint of venom in her voice, as she noticed that the young witch-whitelighter had vanished.  
  
"He orbed out," Paige said simply.  
  
"Uh huh, and what did you do or say to make him angry?" seeing their faces she rolled her eyes, "Come guys, I could hear him shouted from upstairs!"  
  
"Piper have you noticed that ever since the gemstones incident Chris has been well a little out of it?" Phoebe said, "Have you taken time to look at him lately? He looks terrible! I don't think he's sleeping and from the look of it he may have lost weight as well!"  
  
Piper sighed. she had noticed the changes in Chris's attitude and appearance in the last couple of weeks but hadn't said anything about it because she just figured he needed some time to himself.  
  
"It was a traumatic experience, we've all had them...he'll be ok in time just let him be!" she told her younger sister as she walked into the kitchen. At P3 Chris sat slouched in a chair and was trying to stop his eyes from closing. He thought about what had occurred at the Manor, they had called him and he hadn't heard. What if it had been more serious? What if that's when Wyatt had been turned?  
  
Chris suddenly saw a series of flashes, of events put together. He saw the woman with a lighter shade of brown hair, he saw her choking and then jerk as her neck was snapped and she fell to the ground with wide open but glazed over eyes.  
  
He then saw an energy ball hit the older woman cradling that woman in her arms. He saw her hit the wall and slide bonelessly to the ground in a heap. He then saw a small brown haired boy, place his hands over the woman's wound.  
  
Suddenly he found himself in the boy's place leaning over the prone woman's body, desperately trying to heal when he knew he couldn't. She was dead. He looked at his blood soaked hands...his mother was dead!  
  
Chris gasped as his eyes snapped open and he almost fell out of the chair he was in. He had let his eyes close. He held his head in his hands and shuddered as tears fell down his face. He had been plagued with nightmares for the past couple of weeks and didn't want to fall asleep, for these were not normal nightmares, no these were memories and Chris did not want to relieve such painful memories. 


	3. Part 2

Sorry for the delay......I actually decided to get this story betaed and took my time sending this part to my beta.......part 3 won't be nearly as long I promise!

Part 2  
  
The next morning, Paige and Phoebe walked into the attic to find their future nephew pouring over the Book of Shadows, flicking through pages whilst mumbling to himself. They noticed that he looked terrible, worse than he had looked yesterday.  
  
"What are you doing?" Paige asked, making Chris jump as he thought he was alone.  
  
"Umm looking for possible demons that could harm Wyatt!" he replied. It was always best to feed them the same story all the time than to try and come up with a lie on the spot.  
  
"I was also thinking, Phoebe, maybe a love spell or potion is the way to go with Mom and Dad." He added as an afterthought.  
  
The sister in question slowly shook her head, "No no...me and Paige have been talking and we decided we're going to wine and dine them," she said.  
  
"Make them remember why they married in the first place!" Paige injected.  
  
Chris's head snapped up to look at his aunts. "You're kidding...that'll take way too long!" he all but yelled at them. "I'm on a tight schedule as it is," he added under his breath.  
  
"What will take too long?"  
  
Three pairs of eyes looked in the direction of the attic door to see Piper standing in the doorway with a curious look upon her face. Chris locked pleading eyes with his aunts, begging them to come up with some kind of excuse.  
  
"Err... getting Leo to ask the other Elders about this umm... demon that attacked us!" Paige stuttered out, her mind working quickly to come up with some sort of answer.  
  
Piper looked at the three of them for a second or two and then nodded. "You're right that would take too long!" she finally said before leaving and going downstairs.  
  
Phoebe, Paige and Chris let out a collective sigh of relief and Chris flashed a thankful look Paige's way.  
  
"Close call!" Phoebe uttered.  
  
"Yah!" Paige agreed. "Anyway, Chris how are you?"  
  
"Yeah, everything okay with you today?" Phoebe added, squinting her eyes in such a way that it looked like she was trying to get a read off of him.  
  
The relaxed expression fled from Chris's face to be replaced by a scowl. "I'm fine," he spat out, through gritted teeth.  
  
"Are you sure?" Phoebe pressed.  
  
Chris just glared at her and blinked slowly.  
  
"Okay - jeez, aren't aunts entitled to worry about their nephews?" she huffed, throwing her hands up above her head in frustration.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with me, so you don't have to worry," Chris said, as he rolled his eyes like his mother often did when she was annoyed with Leo or her younger sisters.  
  
"Come on Phoebe, I'll drop you off at work," Paige said, grabbing her sister's arm and dragging her out of the attic. "We'll find out what's wrong with him later!" she added, once they were out of hearing range.  
  
Once he was alone again, Chris slammed the book shut.  
  
"Useless book, nothing in there!" he groaned, "I guess I'll just have to do it the old fashioned way."  
  
As he said this he orbed out of the attic and appeared downstairs in the kitchen.  
  
"Coffee! Strong coffee" he said simply and began brewing himself some.  
  
----------------------- Somewhere in a hidden cavern underground, a darkly dressed man muttered something in Latin.  
  
Suddenly a woman with long dark hair, piercing deep green eyes and dressed in a long black dress and elegant black cloak appeared in the centre of the cavern in a flash of bright light.  
  
"How dare you summon me, you weak imbecile!" she cried angrily, her voice strong as she over-pronounced each word.  
  
"I am in need of your services, Milady!" the man spoke as he knelt in front of the woman, "I have payment!"  
  
The woman's eyes gleamed in delight at the mention of payment, "Let me see!" she cried, reaching for the package he held. She inspected the goods and nodded in satisfaction.  
  
"Yes this will do well enough," she said looking back to the man before her. "Now speak vermin! What do you want?"  
  
"What does every demon want at this moment in time, milady?" he said, as he rose from his place on the floor. "To defeat the Charmed Ones and become the new Source!"  
  
The woman's eyebrows rose at this, "And how do you propose to do so?" she questioned, already knowing the answer.  
  
"You plague on emotions, particularly guilt, grief and sadness," the man, now revealed as a demon, stated, "I figured if the Charmed Ones had to relive their most painful memories, it would destroy them and you, milady, would benefit from it also!"  
  
"Interesting," the woman said, an evil smirk spreading across her face, "I have the perfect incantation!" She held out her hand and a small book appeared in it, "You must recite this with all those you wish to be affected in the same place...or else it will not work on that individual," she said with a stern look, as she tore out a page of the book and handed it to him.  
  
"Thank you milady!" he said and shimmered out with a triumphant expression on his dark face.  
  
No, thank you!" she smirked, "for with the power I receive from the most powerful witches' emotions, I will become the new queen!" she cried, her words ending with a long harsh cackle. 

To be continued...... Please review!


	4. Part 3

Thank you everyone for all the lovely reviews! I don't normally do this because I don't very often have the time but I actually decided to answer reviews :) And considering I missed alot I'm going through all reviews (so if you've reviewed each chapter...I'm answering all in one) make since? Yea right!

**MerlinHalliwell: **I'm glad you liked the last story, it was my first Charmed one and I was really nervous about posting it! Will Chris be affected too? Hmm well you'll have to wait and see!

**The Last Hope: **There's more now and more to follow shortly.

**ChRsTiNe17: **I hope this one will be as good as Gemstones....but I feel that gemstones had a more unique plotline. Gemstones just popped into my head for some apparent reason, where as Painful Memories is slightly inspired by another tv show.

**xxaninsomiacsnightmarexx: **Yea poor Chris....but I'm always mean to characters I love!

**futura:** LOL wow! That made me laugh....I feel slightly sorry for the cat though, my cat would be scared to death if I did that....although this is a cat that likes being throw onto a chair/bed so maybe not! Anyway thanks for the review and the laugh!

**buffspike: **My story is cool? Hey thanks! Hopefully it'll stay cool crosses fingers

**DrewFullerFan4Life: **I'm so glad you think it's...and I quote...'wicked good' and I'm sure but did you by any chance want me to keep going? :)

**Sarah:** Yes I do post this on thecharmedones site...they are actually in front with this story....but they are getting the unbetaed version! So they get to see all my stupid mistakes!

**Queen of the Elven City: **I'm glad you love the story...I'm always about posting a story because very over critical of my own work and I have actually stopped myself from writing a story before...but my beta Lu gives good tips and encouragement (is that spelt wrong?)

**Chrisoriented: **Poor Chris indeed! Well I don't think present Piper will have an 'accident' but she'll definitely go through something!

**Twisted Flame/Charmed Leo: **Well here's the next part and the part after that is done...just being betaed...and I'm in the middle of writing the next part, so waiting shouldn't be that long! I'm glad you like it!

**Lady of the North: **Chris is having a rather bad time! Yes it is pretty typical isn't it? As for the spell....I've never written one before so am quite pleased with how it turned out...hope everyone else thinks it's good!

**Person within the beast: **Thank you I'm glad you think this is as good as the last one...I just wish I knew where the last one actually came from...god knows how I came up with it!

**Anaxandra: **Yes another story! This is the quickest I've ever written...my Mag 7 fans may feel left out...I hope they don't think I've abandoned that fandom! Oh well, thanks for the review...hope you enjoy the rest!

**alyssa halliwell: **Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you like it!

**Lark: **Thank you...another gemstones fan hmm? I'm beginning to think I under-rated it!

**Taynna: **Oh Taynna...I absolutely love your reviews...they are soo much help and such a pleasure to read! I've taken into consideration what you said about dialogue and am now reading through the lines after I've written each chapter. Is "you lot were.." really British slang? To be honest I didn't know that...probably cause I'm British! Yes I agree character purity is best...writing Mag 7 stories helped me with writing different phrases because they are all from different states, so spoke differently. I ll check out those essays...they look interesting! Thank you I'm glad the scene worked well! Chris hyped up on coffee hmm...well I'm afraid hyped up Chris is here lol! I thought the story needed some big humour and this sprung to mind...having seen a friend on a coffee-high I just use him for that particular scene! It's funny you should say that she's like Barbas (is it barbas or barbus?) because in a sense that's what I was going for!

_There's a story here I promise......it's right below just keep scrolling....there you go! :)_

**Part 3**  
  
Paige and Phoebe orbed back to the Manor, both their jobs having finished at the same time. They walked into the living room to find Piper on the couch reading. 

"About time you two got back," Piper said, placing the book down and turning her attention to her sisters, "we found out who the demon is!"  
  
"Great!" Phoebe cried, her brow then furrowed slightly, "hang on what do you mean _we_?"

As she asked her question, a familiar sound could be heard and a figure materialised from a cloud of blue and white orbs. The figure had appeared with their back to Paige and Phoebe and was oblivious to the two sisters as he leant in to kiss Piper.  
  
"Well hello Leo!" Paige spoke up with a big grin on her face.  
  
"Paige! Phoebe!" Leo cried, as he turned round sharply and jumped away from Piper, who just rolled her eyes heavenward.  
  
"Are you two...?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Yes!" Leo said, at the same time as Piper cried "No!" Leo and Piper looked at each other with unreadable expressions and then turned back to Paige and Phoebe.  
  
"We're err... still sorting out things!" Piper added sheepishly.  
  
"Right...so have you two?" Paige asked, raising her eyebrows with a knowing grin.

"That... is none of your business!" Piper snapped. As she turned she noticed the grin on Leo's face and hit him in the arm. "Will you just tell them about the demon already!" she cried as she hit him.  
  
Just as Leo was about to speak another cloud of orbs formed and Chris particularly bounced on the spot as he materialised fully.

"Hey Phoebe, Paige!" he cried cheerfully. He looked over at the couch to see Piper sitting there with Leo hovering nearby; he turned back to Paige and Phoebe with a hopeful grin.  
  
"Have you already done that thing you were gonna do, with you know who, to help with the thing for you know?" he spat out rapidly, a sentence that would normally take about 10 seconds to say but he had managed to say in about 4.

The sisters and Leo just blinked and looked slightly freaked out by the unusually loud and jovial witch-whitelighter.

"What the hell happened to you?" Paige finally asked, breaking the unnerving silence.  
  
"Yeah! This morning you were really down and snapping at everyone!" Phoebe added her two cents.  
  
"Maybe my mood just lifted!" Chris said loudly, his eyes extremely bright and he couldn't stop bouncing.  
  
"Uh huh!" Piper said doubtfully, "or maybe you're just high on coffee?"  
  
Chris shrugged, grinned stupidly and pointed at Piper, "Or that!" Then he turned sharply towards the younger Halliwell sisters, "So did you do that thing?"

"Right, the thing!" Paige said nervously, "Uh, Chris why don't you come with us a minute?"

"That doesn't sound good!" Chris said, pouting slightly and turning to Phoebe, "it's not good is it? Phoebe is this good?"  
  
Phoebe forced a small smile. "Just come with me honey!" she said leading him into the kitchen.   
  
"I wouldn't worry too much!" Piper yelled after them, "he'll drop soon, what with all the coffee he drank."  
  
Suddenly, there came a large thump from the kitchen and then Phoebe's voice cried out meekly.  
  
"Uh, little help?"  
  
"Wow sooner than _I_ even thought!" Piper whistled.  
  
"I'll get him!" Leo sighed and walked into the kitchen. Then he orbed next to the couch and let Chris slump down onto it, asleep.  
  
"Think he'll be ok?" Paige asked, as Phoebe rejoined them.  
  
"Once all that caffeine's out of his system, he'll be back to the neurotic guy we all know and love!" Piper quipped, looking down at the sleeping witch-whitelighter.  
  
"Ok then...you were saying?" Phoebe said looking at Leo who looked at her puzzled, "demon?"  
  
"Oh right!" he cried, "nothing to worry about really, its low level and can be killed with a simple vanquishing spell."   
  
"You forget that Garentax was low level too!" Paige interjected with a shudder.

"Yeah, but this is different." Leo replied.  
  
"If you say so!"  
  
Just then Chris started mumbling in his sleep and everyone looked at him in concern.  
  
"I'm still worried about him!" Paige said, noticing the dark circles under Chris's eyes.  
  
"Why, what's wrong?" Leo asked frowning.  
  
Phoebe explained to Leo about Chris's decline in health since the gemstones incident.  
  
"Sounds like he doesn't _want_ to sleep," Leo said thoughtfully, finally noticing Chris's haggard appearance.  
  
"Hmm... and the coffee was his desperation!" Piper added.  
  
Chris suddenly started thrashing his head, sweat welling on his forehead and he mumbled a heart wrenching 'No!'  
  
"Should we wake him?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Piper shook her head, "He really needs some sleep," she said, although it didn't sound very convincing.   
  
At that moment, the demon in question materialised in the room and he immediately began chanting a spell, giving them no chance to react.

"Guilt, Angst, Despair and Grief,

All these you've felt once before,

Time to relive in a painful motif,

The memories you can not ignore!"  
  
As the spell ended, The Charmed Ones, Leo and Chris vanished in a bright light. The demon grinned, laughed and then shimmered out, happy with his work.

**_To Be Continued..._**

**_Sorry for the spaces between the lines in the spell but that's the only way I could get fanfiction.net to display the words on separate lines!_**


	5. Part 4

__

**LunaMoon7: **No I haven't _seen_ the finale but I _do_ know what happens in it. I'm in the UK so it won't be shown til thursday and then part 2 will probably be shown the following week. I will definitely continue this story....the finale doesn't bother me. In fact I already have an idea for a story to deal with it!

**Taynna: **I'm afraid you'll have to wait quite a bit until you find out more about this 'woman'.

**Queen of the Elven City: **Nah he wakes up....and they _will _go to his memory....everyone gets a turn....poor things! I think I'm being very evil to them emotionally!

_Thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Here's the next part and this is the first of the memories!_

**Part 4  
**  
The demon appeared in the underground cavern and walked over to the black- clad woman, ready to announce his victory.   
  
"Did you succeed?" the woman asked, as she turned to face him.  
  
"I recited the spell like you told me and the witches and their whitelighters vanished!" he declared proudly

"Excellent," she hissed out, "now!" She turned to a large pool of water and poured some liquid from a vial into it. She then waved her hands over the surface. "It's my turn!"

As the water's surface swirled, images began to form and then the unconscious forms of The Charmed Ones, Leo and Chris appeared.  
  
"So how are we going to approach this?" the demon asked.  
  
The woman rolled her eyes at his use of the word 'we' but answered him nonetheless, "I think we'll work our way through by age," as she said this an image of Leo filled the water's surface.

"Now watch, my weak associate, as they are each consumed by their most painful memories," she said, her eyes bulging at the thought of the power she would receive from an Elder and The great Charmed Ones.  
  
"What happens if they overcome the memory?" the demon spoke up thoughtfully.  
  
The woman turned abruptly to face him and let out a short cackle, "I am not Barbus you fool!" she hissed, her eyes flashing in anger, "memories are much harder to overcome than fears because memories are events that have already happened."  
  
The demon nodded, "but say they do?" he pressed.  
  
The woman sighed, "If they are consumed by or," she looked at him and let out a scoff, "overcome by the memory then we move on to the next individual...if they manage to overcome them they will be freed once all the memories have played out!" She continued, "but I highly doubt all of them will survive, maybe the whitelighters but not the witches!"   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -  
  
Meanwhile, trapped in the demonic woman's realm, The Charmed Ones, Leo and Chris began to stir and awaken from their unconscious state.  
  
"Ugh, what happened?" Paige asked, holding a hand to her head as she stood.  
  
"How the hell should I know!" Piper grumbled.  
  
Phoebe ran a hand through her short hair and shook her head, "I remember a demon...then a flash and then...where are we?" she said, noticing the bleak surroundings.  
  
"I'm not sure!" Leo answered her, as he helped Piper to her feet.  
  
"Hmm, it's like a big white room!" Paige supplied.  
  
Piper threw her hands up above her head, "Great, we're in a demonic loony bin!" she declared sarcastically.  
  
They all heard a groan and looked down at Chris.  
  
"I have a headache," he moaned, rubbing his temples as he sat on the floor.  
  
"Well that's what you get for being on a caffeine high," Piper replied without much sympathy, she understood that he was suffering from some kind of sleep disorder; probably nightmares; but she would've rather he had came and spoke to them about it than resort to drinking coffee...thank god he hadn't chose alcohol.

"Ugh, can someone turn the brightness down?" Chris groaned, shielding his eyes from the glaring whiteness.  
  
The moment he said this, then the surroundings began to change and the whiteness began to distort and form shapes.  
  
"Err...what's going on?" Chris asked, standing up next to the others.  
  
"Who knows?" Piper replied, "Can anyone remember that spell?" she asked the others.  
  
"What spell?" Chris asked utterly confused.  
  
"I remember something about motifs," Phoebe replied, ignoring Chris.  
  
Paige nodded, "Yeah and grief!"  
  
"Well that's a lot of help, thanks!" Piper snapped, rolling her eyes skywards. Wait sky? She could see sky.   
  
"What do you think Leo?" Phoebe asked the Elder, ignoring her sister's retort, "Leo?" she asked again after she received no reply.   
  
They all turned to see Leo frozen in place, starring at something open- mouthed. They then looked past him to see what it was he was so transfixed by.

They gasped at what they saw; there about 20 yards in front of them, was what looked like army tents. Soldiers, nurses and medics ran to and from various points. All of them jumped as a series of loud explosions sounded almost right near them. They heard distant gunfire and screams of pure agony coming from several tents.   
  
"Leo, what's wrong?" Piper asked, a mixture of concern and confusion in her voice. "And what are you wearing? Wait what are we all wearing?"  
  
Sure enough as they looked at each other, they found that they were dressed differently. Both Chris and Leo were wearing army uniforms with marks of medics on them. The three sisters were dressed as army nurses.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Paige asked.  
  
Any replies from the others were interrupted as a shout came across the encampment.  
  
"Wyatt!" a man shouted in their direction, "Get over here, these men need treating! Wyatt!!! Get your Med. team here on the double!"

Leo snapped out of the dream-like trance he was in and turned to whisper to the others.  
  
"Just do what I say...I'll try to explain later but I think we're back in World War II," the Elder said, as they began walking towards the tents.  
  
"God, how old _are_ you?" Chris breathed out.  
  
"Chris!!!" The sisters scolded, as their whitelighter only shrugged.  
  
"Leo! Leo!" another voice rang out over the explosions, "Leo, get over here quick! Get over here! Nathan's been hit!"  
  
Leo stopped and stared shocked at the man standing before him, holding up a younger man. "It can't be? Rick?"  
  
"It's bad isn't it?" Rick asked, taking more of Nathan's weight.  
  
Chris looked horrified by the wound. "What the hell hit him?"  
  
"Mortar frag...hit us with heavy artillery," Rick replied, "out of nowhere...all battalions down."   
  
"We've gotta get him inside!" Leo exclaimed, taking some of Nathan's weight and helping Rick get him into the Med. Tent.  
  
"Get the Sulfa Powder!" he told the sisters, "we've gotta stop the bleeding, he's going into shock!"   
  
"Psst, Phoebe, do they look familiar?" Piper asked her younger sister in a low voice.  
  
Phoebe looked at her blankly, not getting what Piper meant.  
  
"Think of them transparent."  
  
"Oh you're right...oh no!"  
  
"You mean the ghosts?" Paige interjected.   
  
Piper nodded. She looked over at Leo in sympathy; she remembered when Rick and Nathan had come back from the grave seeking revenge on Leo. This must be hard for him.  
  
"I need morphine kit!" Leo cried, pointing at the kit in the far corner of the tent. Paige grabbed it and passed it over to him.

"You've gotta help him," Rick cried at Leo, "he needs you - we both need you!"  
  
"Leo, a word," Piper said, pulling him away from Nathan's side, "you have to leave them."

"I can't...they die!" he cried in anguish, "I know they do...I should stay!"  
  
"We've been through this before."  
  
"I don't care! I actually have a chance to change this!"  
  
"We don't know that!"  
  
"It must be! What if I can save them?"  
  
"What if you can't?"  
  
"I have to try!"  
  
"Hey," a new voice said from behind them and they turned to face a sombre looking Chris. "If we really have travelled through time, take it from someone who knows, Leo...what if you end up dying with them?"  
  
"What?" Leo exclaimed, more in puzzlement at what Chris meant from 'someone who knows', than from Chris's actual question.  
  
"Think about it. You'd never become a whitelighter, the girls would never be The Charmed Ones and Wyatt...he won't even exist!" Not to mention neither will I! he added silently.  
  
"I have to try!" Leo just repeated his earlier statement to Piper. "Help me move him!" he shouted to Rick.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"We need to get him to a different tent!" he turned back to Chris and Piper, "either help me or stay out of my way!"  
  
Chris and Piper moved to the edge of the encampment and watched as Leo and Rick, with the help of Phoebe and Paige, moved Nathan to another tent. I  
  
"I'll be right back," Leo told Rick, as he and the two younger sisters walked over to Piper and Chris.  
  
Just then, a bomb hit the tent that they were originally in, but to Leo's horror the blast carried through and struck the tent with Rick and Nathan inside, killing them instantly.   
  
"No!" Leo cried, "It didn't happen like that, they should be alright!"  
  
"Remember our discussion Leo!" Piper said, gently touching him on the arm, "they were meant to die...like you were meant to save all those people!"  
  
As she finished speaking, they watched as the surroundings suddenly went dark and then the encampment appeared again, intact once more.  
  
"You've gotta help him. He needs you, we both need you!"  
  
All five of them looked shocked as a very much alive Rick spoke the same words he had earlier.  
  
"What the..." Paige managed to breathe out.  
  
"Maybe I get another chance?" Leo asked with a small degree of hope.  
  
"No Leo, let it happen the way it's suppose to!" Piper said gently, "how it did before."  
  
"You're right!"  
  
"Rookinson, try to stabilise him!" Leo shouted to another Medic, the same one he had told to do so, so many years ago.  
  
"Where are you going?" Rick asked, in a mixture of betrayal and confusion.  
  
"To go help those out in the field!" he replied sombrely.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Rookinson will take care of him."  
  
"No, no, no! You're gonna take care of him. That's Nathan on that bench. You're gonna choose them over us!"  
  
"I'm sorry!"  
  
Leo ran over to where the others were waiting for him.  
  
"We're your friends! Nathan's gonna die. Don't let him die..."  
  
Rick's words were drowned out as the bomb hit the tent, killing everyone near it.  
  
"I'm so sorry," Leo whispered sadly.  
  
Suddenly the surroundings changed once more, but only reverted back to the bright endless whiteness.  
  
"I'm really confused now...what's going on?" Phoebe asked.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -  
  
Back in the cavern the woman slammed her fist down in anger.  
  
"Damn them!"  
  
"What happened?" the demon asked, confused by her outburst.  
  
"His most painful memory! He'd already overcome it before...that's what happened!" she snarled.   
  
"Oh!"  
  
"The next one will not be so fortunate!"  
  
She waved her hand over the water's surface and an image of Piper formed there.


	6. Part 5

Part 5  
  
"This is ridiculous!" Piper cried as she threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "We need to remember that spell and work out what that demon is up too."  
  
"He can't be working alone," Leo said, "that spell was too powerful for a low level demon...he could never have transported us here!"  
  
"And where is 'here' exactly?" Paige questioned the elder, hoping that he had some kind of theory.  
  
Leo grimaced under the scrutiny, "I'm trying to work that out."  
  
"Oh well, by all means, take your time," Chris spoke up suddenly, running his hands through his thick brown hair and exhibiting the same frustration as the eldest Halliwell sister. "Maybe you have endless amounts of time but some of us are on a limit you know!"  
  
"Chris..." Phoebe sent a warning glance Chris's way.  
  
"Fine...not the time for it, I know!"  
  
"What is your problem?" Leo asked, anger evident in his voice.  
  
Chris's eyes flashed a darker green as his anger increased. "Don't tempt me!"  
  
Phoebe stepped in between the two men and placed a hand on each of their chests, pushing them apart. "Can we get back on track here please!" she said in a low growl, as she picked up on the two's anger and the empathy power caused it to affect her as well.  
  
"Umm, guys..." Paige's voice broke through the haze of anger. Whilst Leo and Chris were arguing, Paige had been the only one to notice the scenery change once more. This time it changed to a clearing in a forest and Paige also noticed that Piper had also changed.  
  
"Uh oh," Phoebe managed as she took in the sight of her eldest sister dressed in the brown leather clothes of a Valkyrie.  
  
"Piper?" Leo asked, hesitantly taking a step towards his ex-wife.  
  
"Don't...stay away from me!" Piper cried, holding her hand out in front, the gesture stopping Leo mid-step.  
  
"What? Piper...I..."  
  
"You left us."  
  
"I...what?"  
  
Leo looked back at the others, utter confusion showing on his face.  
  
"It's like she's reliving when she was turned into a Valkyrie," Paige said, sounding as confused as Leo looked.  
  
Chris cringed at what Paige said and realised that everyone was looking at him. He offered them a weak smile, it wasn't his fault Piper had gone mental when he made her a Valkyrie. It was Leo's – pure and simple.  
  
"Piper, stop," Phoebe said, trying to reason with her sister, "don't get caught up in this...you have to snap out of it!"  
  
"We've got to get through to her," Paige said to the others, "the pain almost destroyed her last time!"  
  
Chris glared at Leo; he was the one that had caused Piper's pain. Of course Chris conveniently forgot that he had technically caused his parents to become separated in the first place. "Well how do you suppose we do that?"  
  
"Leo, talk to her!" Phoebe cried, rubbing her temples in pain.  
  
Leo stepped towards Piper again. "Piper, come on...we've done this already," he started pleadingly, "you got through it, don't let it consume you now...it's what the demon wants!"  
  
"But you...you left, became an Elder," Piper said, running a hand down her face in despair.  
  
"I know, Piper, and you know too! This is just the spell working on you!"  
  
Just as Leo felt as if he was getting through to Piper, Phoebe chose that moment to lose control over her empathy.  
  
"You bastard!" she cried, lunging towards Leo, "How dare you do this to me. To our son!"  
  
"Phoebe, focus," Paige cried, pulling her sister away from Leo, "don't get caught up in Piper's feelings!"  
  
Phoebe rubbed her temples again. "Sorry," she said meekly, "Thanks, Paige."  
  
"We had a life together, a family and you destroyed..." Piper started yelling at Leo again, but then she had spotted something that she hadn't noticed before. "Wait. No. YOU did!" she cried in rage, turning to face Chris.  
  
"What!" Chris squeaked out, looking to the entire world like a deer caught in headlights.  
  
"The minute you appeared you ruined everything," she continued, taking threatening steps towards him every time she spoke and Chris took a step backward each time. "You took my husband away from me...you left my son fatherless...hell, Leo's probably right - you probably did send him to Valhalla!"  
  
"No...I...Piper, please!" Chris stuttered. He couldn't believe how angry his mother was - had she really felt like this at the time of this event...or did she still feel that way.

"Don't you 'Piper, please' me...you have been nothing but a thorn in my side since you appeared!" she threw her hands out in rage and a surprising thing happened. Chris was thrown through the air and landed some distance from Piper.  
  
"What the hell!" Paige gasped, too shocked to react.  
  
"You ruined my marriage, you son of a..."  
  
"Stop!" Phoebe cried suddenly, "Piper, I beg you not to finish that sentence."  
  
"I wish you had never arrived," Piper said, angry tears streaming down her face as she glared down at the young witch-whitelighter. "Then Leo wouldn't have left me and...and..."  
  
"And Paige would be dead!" Chris cried out in anger and anguish, knowing this wasn't true but said it anyway, "and Leo would have left you anyway, but for a much different and worse reason...believe me!" he added in a softer voice.  
  
At his comment, Piper literally saw red and went to gesture her hands again but she felt much larger ones enveloped her own. She looked up to see Leo's soft, caring blue eyes.  
  
"Piper, please," he pleaded to her, "listen to me. You are under a spell, the same spell that affected me earlier remember? But you...you helped me through it, now let me help you," Piper looked at him, her anger beginning to dissipate. "Don't let the pain consume you, don't give in to your anger. You forgave Chris once...forgive him again. Look at him, he's made himself ill from some kind of emotional problem...don't do it to yourself!"  
  
Chris cringed and hung his head in shame at what Leo had just said.  
  
"Oh god...you're right," Piper gasped, "What was I thinking?"  
  
"Its ok, honey," Phoebe said, going over to comfort her sister, "we understand."  
  
Paige nodded. "Yeah it's the demon playing with us."  
  
They watched as the scenery once again reverted back to the white void.  
  
Piper looked down at Chris, who was still on the floor, and held out her hand to help him up. "Chris, I'm sorry...I really am."  
  
Chris took her hand after only a moment's hesitation, stood up and brushed himself off. "It's fine...I understand, it was the spell."  
  
"You know that's not how I feel...it was then but not now."  
  
"I got it Piper...I got it!" Chris offered her a small grin, but she could still see the faint residue of pain in his green eyes.  
  
"Explain to me this though," Paige's voice interrupted, "how did you throw him through the air?"  
  
I've corrected this in a few places before and wasn't going to mention it, but seeing as I've found it again... closing quotes go directly after the comma or fullstop, then there's a space.  
  
"I don't know...maybe a new power?" Piper replied hopefully.  
  
"I wouldn't think so...that was telekinesis!" Leo said, as if that was a sufficient explanation.  
  
"And why couldn't I get telekinesis?"  
  
"Piper..."  
  
"I have an idea," Phoebe interjected. She looked at Chris and grinned. Chris's eyes widened, as he realised what her idea was. "Maybe Piper's..."  
  
"Got it from being a Valkyrie!" Chris all but yelled out before Phoebe could finish her sentence. Phoebe glared at Chris, who just gave her a smug grin.  
  
"Yeah that's probably it!" Leo said, agreeing with Chris, whose grin widened at this.  
  
"Oh!" Piper exhaled disappointed.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Back in the cavern, a loud shriek of anger could be heard echoing around.  
  
"This close...I was this close," the woman growled.  
  
"Maybe you underestimated them," the demon said, earning himself a death glare.  
  
"I almost had her...if it hadn't been for that damn Elder, she would've been consumed and her power mine!"  
  
"Ironic. If he had been consumed by his memory, she would've been by hers."  
  
"Irony is overrated," she hissed through gritted teeth. She waved her hands angrily through the water's surface, "The next one is a potential killer. I may even be lucky and get two sisters for the price of one with this memory!"  
  
She grinned evilly as an image of Phoebe appeared on the surface.  
  
"Quite poetic that her most painful memory used to be her ultimate fear!"


	7. Part 6

_I'm very sorry for the loooong wait. Here's Phoebe's Memory....enjoy!!!_

**Part 6**

**"Have you worked out where we are yet?" Paige asked.**

**Leo shook his head, "No, but I've remembered the spell."**

**"Well don't keep us in suspense!" Piper snapped impatiently, still recovering from her memory.**

**"It was a spell to make those affected relive painful memories,"**

**The colour drained from Chris's face as Leo spoke. "Umm does that mean all of us?" he asked meekly.**

**"Well that explains why you went back to WWII and Piper was a Valkyrie again" Phoebe interjected, ignoring Chris.**

**"Ha! So is this umm gonna affect all of us?" Chris asked nervously, a hint of panic making its way onto his face.**

**"Well, the spell was kind of general, "Leo replied, eyeing Chris suspiciously, "so, it'll probably affect everyone who was in the room."**

**"Maybe it won't affect me cause I was...well...asleep!"**

**"I doubt it."**

**"What do you know?" Chris muttered angrily.**

**Piper rolled her eyes at the two of them and focused on trying to get back on subject. "Why would this demon do something like this?"**

**Leo's attention moved from Chris back to the girls. "I think this is the work of a stronger power..."**

**"Like?" Paige queried.**

**"I'm not sure yet,"**

**"Now there's a surprise!" Chris mumbled sarcastically.**

**Paige and Phoebe sent warning looks his way but only received a shrug from the witch-whitelighter.**

**Suddenly the scenery began to change around them once again.**

**"Here we go again..." Piper groaned.**

**Colours swirled together as images began to form. Everything appeared as if it were spinning and felt like if you were going round and round on a Merry-Go-Round. The images slowly began to sharpen and everyone gasped at the scene before them.**

**"We're...home?" Piper managed to stutter out in shock.**

**"It's another illusion created by..."**

**"One of our memories...got it!" Phoebe said tightly, finishing the sentence for Leo.**

**"Whose memory happened in the Manor then?" Paige asked.**

**Behind them Chris shifted uncomfortably and looked down at his feet but went unnoticed by the girls and Leo.**

**"Well, it's either you, Phoebe or Chris's, "Piper said, looking around the room trying to find something that could give them a clue. "I doubt its Chris's though! Why would his memory be in the Manor?"**

**"Yeah! Why would mine be in the Manor?" Chris said with a nervous laugh, all the while trying to avoid eye-contact with anyone.**

**"So, Phoebe or Paige?" Leo asked no one in particular.**

**"Err guys!?!"**

**Piper, Phoebe and Leo turned around at the sound of Paige's slightly scared and surprised voice.**

**"Oh my god," Piper gasped, "Wha...What is.....What's wrong with you two?" she spluttered, as she took in her youngest sister and their whitelighter.**

**Paige looked over at Chris or rather straight through him. Both she and the younger witch-whitelighter were almost completely transparent.**

**"Well, now you mention it, I do feel a bit..."Chris looked at his hand, waving it in front of him, "faint!"**

**The others just glared at him and Piper rolled her eyes at his joke and then turned to her ex-husband for answers.**

**"Leo, why...what's happened?"**

**"I...I don't know."**

**"I think it's safe to say this isn't Paige's memory" Chris said, frowning at the echo in his voice.**

**"Then its Phoebe's" Paige needlessly stated, an echo also in her voice.**

**"That doesn't explain why you two look....like you do!" Phoebe responded.**

**"Maybe it's because this memory happened before Paige and Chris were around?" Leo spoke up thoughtfully.**

**Piper frowned at this," but if that is true, then why were we all part of your memory?"**

**"I don't know," Leo replied slightly frustrated, getting fed up being asked questions he didn't know the answers too, "you took the places of other people that had been present at the time."**

**"Well, I wasn't there when Piper went all...loco...on everyone" Chris pointed out, unconsciously taking a step back from Piper.**

**Leo sighed in frustration, "but you were still actually in our lives" unfortunately he added silently, "otherwise Piper wouldn't have become a valkyrie in the first place!"**

**"Hey, I'm not the one who took away her emotions..." Chris growled angrily, the echo in his voice making him sound even angrier.**

**"Well, I wouldn't have had to do that if you hadn't..."**

**"Oh my god shut the hell up!" Piper yelled, "The both of you" she added looking pointedly at the two of them.**

**"But..." Chris started and then realised his error.**

**"Don't you but me young man!" Piper yelled again, causing Chris to cringe and lower his head to look at his shoes, "Can we focus on getting through Phoebe's memory please? Thank you!"**

**"I'm still not sure what memory this is..."Phoebe began.**

**She was interrupted by a bright flash of light and her, Chris and Leo vanished from view leaving Piper and a transparent Paige standing in the hallway.**

**Paige looked over at her eldest sister and frowned. Piper was standing opened mouth, gaping at the dark haired women and man; dressed in a doctor's coat; that had just appeared next to them.**

**"Piper, are you ok?"**

**"Prue?" Piper managed in a really soft whisper that only Paige picked up.**

**"Prue? This is Prue....oh no!"**

**

* * *

**

** Meanwhile, Phoebe, Leo and a transparent Chris appeared in a dark, candle lit cavern.**

**"Are we in the underworld?" Chris asked, his voice echoing even more in the cavern.**

**"Looks like it" Leo replied.**

**"But why !?!" Phoebe gasped, as her formerly dead husband walked into the cavern.**

**"He knows. About you, about us," Cole said, oblivious to Phoebe's surprise.**

**"Cole? As in demon boyfriend...vanquished three times Cole?" Chris asked, coming to the conclusion that Cole couldn't see him.**

**"You know about Cole?" Leo whispered suspiciously, coming to the same conclusion as Chris.**

**"Hello! From the fu-ture!" he replied, pointed at his self with both hands.**

**"What do you mean?" Phoebe said, addressing Cole.**

**"He's offering a deal. He'll get Tempus to reset time if you stay...here," Cole replied solemnly.**

**"Oh no..."Phoebe paled and he hands began to shake violently.**

**"Phoebe, are you alright?" Chris asked, trying to make out what his aunt was muttering.**

**"No, please not this memory – I don't want this one!"**

**"What one?"**

**"Phoebe?" Cole's concerned voice broke through to her and she looked up at him. "He said it was the only way to bring one of your sisters back to life."**

**

* * *

**

**"They?" the man dressed in the doctor's coat asked.**

**"Yeah, demons. Uh, more specifically, Shax." The dark haired woman – Prue replied. "He was the source's assassin."**

**"Hold it, I get it! This is a practical joke, right? Do you have a hidden camera here? My second wife put you up to this? Ah, it's just like her" the man said, all the while laughing nervously.**

**"Ah poor guy, "Paige said, "hasn't even been attacked and he's already crazy!"**

**"O...o...okay, Dr. Griffiths, listen to me," Prue said, giving the man a funny look, "this is anything but..." She stopped talking altogether and shuddered, looking over her shoulder like she thought there was something there.**

**"Whoa...creepy."**

**Piper heard Paige gasp in shock and looked over at her puzzled.**

**"What?"**

**Thinking Piper was talking to her; after all there was no one else present that she could be addressing; Prue shook her head. "I don't know, I just felt a chill" she said, "Phoebe?" she called up the stairs, waiting for a response from her youngest sister but none came.**

**"Oh that was freaky," Paige said, "there was this dark shadow...thingy. It particularly tapped her on the shoulder!"**

**"Phoebe are you there?" Prue called again, more urgently this time.**

**"Where is Phoebe?" Paige asked Piper.**

**Piper leaned closer to her transparent sister and responded in a low whisper so Prue couldn't hear. "Underworld."**

**Just then Phoebe, Leo and a still transparent but quite fed up Chris appeared next to them.**

**"Or not..."**

**"We're not supposed to be here," Phoebe said, panic beginning to show in her voice, "It didn't happen like this!"**

**"I'm confused" Chris said, not liking the fact that he didn't know what was happening.**

**"Right there with ya!" Paige agreed.**

**"Phoebe?" Prue called in the direction of the stairs again, oblivious to the new arrivals.**

**"Well I'm guessing she can't see you guys either," Paige said, again needlessly pointing out the obvious.**

**"Maybe whoever did this just wants us to watch what happens?" Leo suggested, looking from Piper to Phoebe in concern, He was worried how seeing this particular event would affect the two of them.**

**"But...but...I never saw what happened before" Phoebe said in a small voice.**

**Suddenly a large tornado burst through the open Manor doors and everyone present turned to face it in shock and fear. It was in this moment that Paige realised what demon this was and what was about to happen.**

**"I'm guessing that's not your normal everyday tornado?" Chris said more as a statement than a question.**

**"Phoebe, where are you?" Prue's panic-ridden voice shrieked.**

**"Here...I'm right...here!" Phoebe cried in vain.**

**"Oh crap!" Piper groaned, just before the tornado knocked herself and Prue to the ground.**

**A clap of thunder reverberated around the Manor as the tornado began the calm down and took the form of a grey demon with a shock of white hair and dark, hollow eyes. There before them stood Shax – the only demon to have ever killed a charmed one.**

**"Dear god!" Dr. Griffiths managed, looking wide-eyed at the large demon.**

**"No!" Prue yelled, pulling herself up from the floor and pushing the doctor out of the way.**

**"No. Prue. Don't!" Phoebe cried, her eyes glistering with unshed tears.**

**Shax grinned menacingly. He formed a large energy ball and threw it straight at Prue. The ball hit her in the chest and sent her careering straight through a wall.**

**Chris's eyes widened and realisation dawned on his face. He knew what event this was now.**

**"Oh god" "No!" he heard his two aunts cry out.**

**"Piper?" the panic in his father's voice caused him to take his eyes off of the prone body of the aunt he never knew and over to where his mother was slowly getting up from the floor.**

**"I don't want to go over there," Piper cried in frustration, as if she didn't have control of her body at this particular moment, "no...don't get up! Stay down damn it!"**

**Unfortunately, Piper got up and found herself directly in front of Shax, who was preparing to throw another energy ball.**

**"Oh no you don't!" Chris shouted and moved to stand in-between Piper and Shax**

**"What are you doing?" Piper asked.**

**"Helping..." he replied matter-of-factly.**

**She shook her head and sighed, "I don't think..."**

**Just then Shax threw the energy ball towards them. The ball passed straight through Chris's transparent body and connected with Piper's stomach, sending her crashing through a wall landing next to her elder sister.**

**"Urgh!" Chris groaned, rubbing the area where the ball had passed through him, "that felt...weird!" He turned around and saw Piper lying deadly still next to Prue. "Mom!" he cried in a harsh whisper and ran to Piper's side.**

**"What are you?" Dr.Griffiths asked as Shax approached him.**

**Shax grinned and tilted his head. "The end!" he growled out, throwing an energy ball at the doctor. The doctor hit the window behind him, breaking the glass and landing on the sill – dead.**

**"Geez...how cliché is that," Paige muttered, "The end!"**

**Once the doctor was dead and Shax had surveyed his destruction he reformed into a tornado and twisted out of the doors. The Manor doors slammed shut behind him, shattering the windows.**

**"Leo...heal her!" Phoebe cried, running over to where Piper and Prue lay.**

**Leo nodded and moved over to heal Piper. He was shocked when he felt someone grab his arm and stop him.**

**"No Leo!" Phoebe cried, tears threatening to fall down her face, as she gripped his arm, "Prue! Heal Prue first!"**

**"Phoebe!" Leo gasped in shock, looking at her like she'd grown another head.**

**"Phoebe he can't do that!" Paige cried, equally as shocked as Leo by Phoebe's outburst.**

**"Yes he can...heal her. Heal Prue!"**

**"Are you crazy?" Chris angry voice rang out from next to her, his own eyes glistening. It was then they all realised that Paige and Chris were solid again. "No way! He's gotta heal Piper!"**

**"No!" Phoebe cried, taking no notice of the desperation on her future nephew's face, "Leo heal Prue!"**

**"Leo, don't listen to her. Heal Piper!"**

**Phoebe growled angrily and grabbed Leo's arm pulling him towards Prue, "Prue!"**

**"Piper!" Chris snapped, grabbing Leo's other arm and pulling him towards Piper.**

**"Prue!"**

**"Piper!"**

**"PRUE!" Phoebe screamed, tears falling freely down her face now. "Don't you understand? I want my big sister back!"**

**"She's already dead!"**

**"But he can save her now...I'm not going to lose her again. I couldn't bear that!"**

**"Yeah well. I...I...I'm not losing M...Piper!" Chris shouted back, so angrily that he almost gave himself away to Leo.**

**"What do you mean by that?" Leo asked suspicion evident in his voice.**

**"I...ermm..."**

**"Chris..." Paige suddenly cried in alarm, "You're transparent again!"**

**"What?" Chris looked down at himself and sure enough he was transparent, even more this time. "Piper!" he hissed frantically. "Leo, you've gotta heal her...now!"**

**"Please Leo...heal Prue!" Phoebe whined, too caught up in her pain to notice what was happening.**

**"Phoebe! Don't you get it?" Chris snapped, forcing Phoebe to look at him, "Piper's dying...for real! Do you really want to lose her too?" transparent green eyes bored into her own adding something silently that he hoped she pick up.**

**"I...oh god!" Phoebe cried, realising what Chris was saying, "I'm sooo sorry. Leo, heal Piper quick!"**

**Leo, however, was already in the progress of healing Piper. It seemed to take ages before she stirred, showing them just how close they were to actually losing her.**

**"Wha...what happened?" she asked, groaning as she held her head in her hands.**

**"You almost died," Paige said softly.**

**"But...I thought the idea was to make us watch and relive our memories," Phoebe said meekly, not believing what she had almost done.**

**"Yes" Leo confirmed, "And Piper was almost killed then. By putting us in our past selves places she could've died!"**

**"You mean...I almost killed her?"**

**"Yes!" Chris snapped angrily.**

**"Chris!!!" Piper, Paige and Leo yelled.**

**"Well it's true!" he mumbled, folding his arms across his chest.**

**"Oh I'm a horrible person!" Phoebe whispered, watching as Prue's body disappeared and the scenery reverted back to the bleak whiteness.**

**"No you're not Phoebe," Paige said softly, putting a comforting arm around her sister.**

**"Yeah! You only wanted Prue back," Piper added.**

**"But I almost got you killed Piper!"**

**"But I'm still here, and I always will be, right?"**

**Chris scoffed, "Yeah right!" he muttered, wiping a hand across his face.**

**"What was that?" Piper asked.**

**"Oh nothing..."**

**

* * *

**

**Back in the cavern the woman slammed her hands against the wall.**

**"Those damn whitelighters!" she shrieked, splashing the water's surface which had Chris's image on it.**

**"Why did he fade the second time?" the demon asked curiously.**

**"What are you on about?"**

**"The whitelighter," he said, pointing at Chris's image, "he faded a second time and then became solid once the witch was healed!"**

**"What does it matter? If you hadn't recited the spell when the whitelighters were around, I would have the Charmed Ones by now!"**

**"Don't try blaming this on me! You still have two remaining!"**

**"Two to go!" the woman mused, "The youngest sister! What memories does she hold?" She waved her hand across the water and Paige's face appeared.**

_TO BE CONTINUED...._

_Next Chapter: Paige's Memory_


	8. Part 7

_Firstly I'd like to apoligise for how long it has taken me to get this chapter up. I'm afraid I had a rather bad case of writer's block with this one and then my muse decided it was gonna do something different with Paige's memory. Secondly I'd like to apoligise for the shortness of the chapter as well - I promise the others will be better. And thirdly I'd like to say a big thank you to those that have been patient with me and left such wonderful reviews - I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you._

_ Anyway, on with the story...  
_

_

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**Part 7 – Paige's Memory**

"I'm so sorry…" Phoebe repeated yet again to her older sister.

Piper rolled her eyes and sighed. Phoebe's constant apologising was really starting to grate upon her nerves. "Would you stop already – I forgave you!"

"I haven't…" came the muttered response from Chris.

"How exactly does this affect _you_?" Piper asked as she crossed her arms and turned suspicious eyes on the young witch-whitelighter. "Remember what I said about secrets Chris"

"Yeah, yeah"

"Age order!" Leo all but shouted, the words echoing around the white environment.

Piper had already opened her mouth to continue the 'discussion' but was interrupted by this sudden exclamation from the Elder.

"Excuse me?" she said irritation evident in her voice, "I'm so not in the mood to deal with random outbursts so explain now!"

Leo gave her a withering look; not that it had much of an affect; but obliged anyway. "The spell appears to be working in age order – eldest, me, to youngest…" he glanced at Chris as he said this.

"Oook and that's significant how?" Paige asked.

"Well we know that the next memory is Paige's."

"Oh joy!" Paige uttered sarcastically, "and this helps us because…"

"We can _try_ to figure out what your most painful memory is before it happens. That way you won't be caught unawares like we were." Leo explained, "And because Chris will be last and he had time to prepare himself for his."

Chris appeared to pale considerably as Leo spoke. "Can't we just figure out a way out of this before _that _happens?"

Leo arched an eyebrow at seeing the young man uncomfortable, finally he was showing some kind of emotion and right now you didn't need to be an empath to feel the fear radiating from him.

"Unfortunately no – the only way out is to overcome all the memories."

"Does this mean you know who's behind this now?" Phoebe asked, after giving Chris a comforting squeeze on the shoulder.

"Well no, not yet," Leo replied sheepishly, "but I'm close!"

"Well get there sooner!" Piper snapped, "I'm more than ready to kick this demon's ass!"

Just as Piper finished talking the scene around them began to change once more and Chris has turned transparent again.

"This is really getting on my nerves" Chris grumbled as he folded his arms across his chest.

"You know, I think this thing just makes up its own rules as it goes along" Phoebe said.

Leo opened his mouth to speak but Piper beat him to it. "Let me guess. This time it's because Chris doesn't exist in this time as it's before he came back from he future?" she asked in an irritated tone to which Leo just nodded in agreement.

"Well as much as I _love_ being like this," Chris said indicating his transparent body, "Paige hurry up and get over this memory will you!"

Phoebe looked around at the still changing environment, "and this memory is…?"

"The day my foster parents died" Paige finished softly.

"Well you've already relived it once, so should overcome it easily right?" Piper asked.

"Just because I went back to find out why I survived and lived through it again, doesn't mean it still doesn't bother me!"

"But you can accept it easier" Leo said knowingly.

Chris scoffed, "like you did?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes. Like _I_ did!"

"Don't worry Paige, we're here for you," Piper said, putting a stop to the argument before it started.

"Yeah and Leo went through this with you before, so he'll help you out again" Phoebe added, as the scene finally stopped changing and they found themselves in a small bedroom decorated with posters and items on various shelves.

"Nice braces Paige" Chris commented with a grin, loving the fact that his 'cool' aunt didn't look so cool now.

"Urgh! Not again" Paige cried, covering her mouth and glaring at her future nephew.

"Wow – interesting room" Piper said, glancing round.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing…"

A knock at the door forestalled any argument that could've broken out.

"So are we ghosts or something?" Phoebe asked, suddenly worried that they wouldn't be invisible.

"No no – I'm the ghost!" Chris said as he placed his hand on the desk watching as it went straight through it.

"Oh quit your complaining!" Piper snapped.

"They probably won't be able to see us" Leo said, working out what Phoebe was worried about.

"Probably?"

"Just open the door Paige."

Paige does so but not before throwing a scowl at the Elder. Even though she was expecting it Paige still found herself freezing at the sight of her foster father standing there at the door.

"Ready for school? You don't want to miss your ride." Mr Matthews said, smiling at her. However the smile soon fell from his face and he moved further into the room. "Is that smoke? Are you smoking in here?" He goes over to the window sill and puts out a cigarette. "You know, I don't know how much more of this your mother and I can take." With that said he turned around and left the room shutting the door behind him.

"You smoked?" Piper asked, shocked at this bit of news.

"I told you I wasn't the ideal or best daughter" Paige replied, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"Aww, you know they loved you Paige."

"Yeah Phoebe, I know – fine lets just get this over with!"

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_Meanwhile in the underworld…_

"This is going too well" the demon commented as the two of them observed Paige's memory.

The woman clenched her hands into fists. "It is not my thought that she has already relived this" she cried, moving her hands slowly over the water's surface disrupting the images there. "Let's say we move things on shall we?"

"You can do that?"

"Of course – she isn't going to be affected by this so we move on to a more potential subject" she explained with an evil grin, watching as an image of Chris formed across the water's surface. "I have a feeling this whitelighter's memory is going to be most intriguing…and agonising."

"I hope you're right" the demon muttered under his breath.

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"What the hell?" Piper cried as the scene of Paige's memory began to fade away.

"Leo wh..what just happened?" Paige asked.

"I think I know who's behind this now" was all the Elder said.

"Well, please, don't keep us in suspense" a rather irritable but now non-transparent Chris snapped.

"It's a demoness called Parox – also known as the 'Demon of Suffering'" Leo explained, "she's kind of like Barbas, only she deals with memories rather than fears"

"Wonderful!" Piper and Chris remarked at exactly the same time.

"She traps beings in her domain and makes them relive their worse memories and if they are consumed by them…" he paused, making certain he had all of their attention, "she absorbs their powers."

The sisters and Chris took a moment to take it all in - the sisters glancing at each other in horror at what could've happened to them if they had been consumed by their memories and the young witch-whitelighter scared as to what memory he was yet to relive.

"Is there a vanquish?" Phoebe asked, breaking the silence first.

"I'm not sure; you'd have to check the book when we get out of here."

"Why did my memory just end that like?" Paige asked, confused but slightly relieved at the same time.

"She probably realised you wouldn't be consumed, so moved on to the next person." As he said these words, Leo and the sisters turned to look at Chris who had once more lost the colour to his face.

"What!" Chris snapped.

* * *

_Well what do you think?_

_ I promise that the next chapter will not take nearly as long - in fact it is already written in script form and just needs tweaking and converting into descriptive writing._

_NEXT UPDATE: Chris's Memory! _


	9. Part 8

_Well here it is - Chris's Memory. Hope it lives up to expectations. Enjoy!_

**Part 8 - Chris's Memory**

"_She probably realised you wouldn't be consumed, so moved on to the next person." As he said these words, Leo and the sisters turned to look at Chris who had once more lost the colour to his face._

"_What!" Chris snapped._

"Well this should be interesting" Piper remarked, frowning at the ashen-faced young man.

"Don't get your hopes up – maybe Parox will just end mine like Paige's" Chris growled out, refusing to look at anyone.

"We'll see…" Leo interjected.

"Whatever!"

Phoebe and Paige glanced at each other in concern as the scenery around them began to change and Chris stiffened and, if possible, went even paler than before.

At the same time, Piper's eyes raked over the young witch-whitelighter and gradually filled with concern as she remembered the nightmare he had seemed to be experiencing earlier. The eldest sister wondered if the nightmare had anything to do with this memory they were about to witness.

The changing scenery abruptly came to a stop and they were greeted by the familiar sight of the Manor's Attic – although there seemed to be more things and did the book look thicker?

"Why are we in the attic?"

"Where's Chris?"

Paige and Phoebe asked at the same time. It was then that The Charmed Ones and Leo realised that Chris was in fact missing. Before they could comment on the situation, however, a woman ran through the door. They couldn't see her face as it was concealed by her long dark hair.

Just behind her, following rather reluctantly, was a teenage boy with thick unruly brown hair. The boy let out a sigh as he entered the attic with shoulders slumped.

"Chris?" Phoebe whispered softly.

"Chris! Phoebe that boy is too cute to be our neurotic whitelighter" Piper said.

Sharp green eyes, too old for the young face that held them, snapped round and looked right at them.

"I am _not _neurotic!" the boy said in a harsh whisper.

"It _is _Chris" Paige said.

"Oh my god, you are sooo cute," Phoebe cried in her 'baby' voice.

Chris shot her an appalled look and rolled his eyes heavenward.

"We have to hide the book."

"What did you say?" Paige asked, turning to face her eldest sister.

"What you looking at me for, I didn't say a word!" Piper snapped, folding her arms across her chest. "She spoke" she added, pointing at the dark haired woman who was now hovering over the Book of Shadows.

Suddenly a second woman entered the room, shutting the door and gently pushing Chris further into the middle of the room – despite his protests.

"Oh my god!" Paige hissed, all three sisters shocked by who had just entered the room.

"That's….well its…I don't believe this" Piper spluttered out, looking back and forth at the second woman and the middle Halliwell.

"Me!" Phoebe cried out, "My hair's long again" she added tilting her head to the side to study her older self's hair.

"Weren't kidding when you said you knew us eh?" Piper said, glancing at Chris who just shrugged.

"I couldn't hold him," the second Phoebe gasped out, moving to stand by the dark haired woman. "He's on his way up now!"

"Chris, what's happening?" Paige asked at the same time as Leo said "Who's 'he'?"

Chris, however, ignored them and moved towards the future version of Phoebe and the dark haired woman.

"We've gotta go" he said, pulling a face at the small voice that came out of his mouth.

Future Phoebe offered him a small smile. "Right after we hide the book Chris" she said, ruffling his hair for which he scowled at her and shook his head.

"No! We've gotta go now!" he said more forcibly, grabbing the dark haired woman's hand and would've orbed then and there if she hadn't of released his hold.

"Chris, I know you're scared honey" she said, the sisters and Leo frowning at the familiar voice, "but we can't let him have it."

"But…he'll get it anyway!"

"He's right you know" a deep voice growled from thin air. A short while later a blonde haired teen; older and taller than Chris; materialized in the room, followed by just over half a dozen demons.

"Give me the book!" he commanded, casting hate-filled eyes at the occupants of the room.

Future Phoebe and the dark haired woman moved in front of Chris, blocking him from the older boy's view. The sisters and Leo were so caught up in the scene before them, that they failed to notice the subtle hand gesture the dark haired woman performed or that the demons flanking the blonde teen froze in place.

"You can't have it!" Future Phoebe shouted.

The blonde haired teen just laughed. "Of course I can – It's my heritage after all."

"Heritage?" Paige muttered baffled by what was happening before her eyes.

Piper let out a gasp and shook her head. "No – it can't be" she whispered and turned to the younger version of their whitelighter. "Chris, please tell me that's not…Wyatt? Tell me that's not my son!"

Chris lowered his head to stare at the ground and inclined his head slightly. Piper, however, caught the gesture and he hand flew to her mouth.

"I'm sorry" Chris whispered.

"Evil can't have the Book of Shadows!" Future Phoebe stated, totally oblivious to the revelation for her past self and family.

The blonde teen, Wyatt, shook his head. "When will you learn" he said, as if talking to mere children, "it's not about Good and Evil – only about power and who has the most" he said, clenching his fist to prove a point. "And you two are all that's left standing in my way!"

"You…you wouldn't hurt family" the dark haired woman stuttered out, unsure even as she voiced the statement.

"Tell that to Aunt Paige!"

"I'm dead!" Paige squeaked out, "my own nephew killed me? Err kills me?"

"Please stop..." the sisters and Leo turned to look at where the small pitiful voice had come from. They saw Chris walking slowly backwards, shaking his head with a stricken expression upon his young face.

"I d-d-don't w-w-a-a-nt to reli-i-ve th-th-this" he stuttered out in barely an audible whisper, "Please stop!"

"It's ok Chris," Phoebe said, moving towards him, "honey we're here."

But Chris seemed not to hear her and looked straight through her as if she wasn't in front of him.

"You wouldn't hurt….me!" They turned their attention back to the dark haired woman as she spoke, all of them feeling as if they knew her.

"You're right," Wyatt said, his face softening as he looked at her, "I couldn't hurt _you_ mom!" A sneer appeared across his face as he stressed the word 'you'.

"Mom! That's me?" Piper cried out, feeling her legs buckle as realisation hit her. Leo supported her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

They watched as Wyatt clinched his fist and then they heard the sound of choking. They saw that Future Phoebe was clutching at her throat as if she were being strangled.

"No…please" they heard Chris whimper from beside Phoebe, who had paled considerably.

With an evil grin, directed at Future Piper, Wyatt violently flicked his wrist. At that moment a sickening crack echoed around the room and Future Phoebe fell to the ground – her neck snapped in two and her sightless eyes staring with a shocked expression.

"No!" The sisters, Chris, Leo and Future Piper all shouted at the same time.

"Phoebe? Oh god Phoebe!" Future Piper cried out, running to her sister's side and cradling her head lap, "no."

The sisters and Leo watched helplessly as Wyatt dematerialized with the Book of Shadows clasped in his hands. It was then they noticed the frozen demons around them.

Chris suddenly ran from Phoebe's side and to Future Piper, utter determination; or was it desperation; upon his face.

"Come on, we can still orb out!" he said, grabbing hold of her hand he tried to pull her away from her sister's dead body.

"I'm so sorry Phoebe – this is all my fault!" Future Piper whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

The sisters and Leo stood shell-shocked, watching as Chris tried once again to pull her away. They noticed that he kept glancing at the frozen demons.

"I'm dead!" Phoebe muttered over and over, not taking her eyes off of her future self's prone body.

"Oh god Leo!" Piper cried, resting her head on Leo's shoulder as he held her. "Our son grows up to kill his own aunts…"

"Shhh – we won't let that happen Piper" Leo said, looking her square in the eye, "I promise."

Suddenly, all at once, the demons unfroze and looked around them in confusion.

"No" Chris murmured, tugging on Future Piper's arm but she ignored him.

With her back to the demons, she failed to see one of them produce an energy ball or see the delight on his face as he let it fly and shimmer out with the others. She did however feel it impact solidly in her back and it burn through her skin and flesh.

"NO!" Chris screamed, becoming firmly rooted in place as her hand slid from his and to the ground.

"Oh god!" Paige gasped and looked over at Phoebe, both thinking the same thing – poor Chris.

"What? That's how I die!" Piper gasped out, not believing her eyes. She felt Leo stiffen and looked up and his shocked and saddened expression, unaware that he was thinking where the hell his future self was at this very moment when Phoebe and Piper needed him the most.

They watched as Chris dropped to the floor beside Future Piper with tears brimming in his green eyes.

"No, no, no….please no" he muttered, as he leaned other her.

"Chris?" she gasped out, her breath hitching as she spoke, "I'm so sorry sweety" she continued, gazing into his eyes.

"No" he said, shaking his head, "don't say goodbye, please!"

Future Piper lifted her hand to his face and brushed the long strands of hair from his forehead. "Not much of a 14th birthday party huh?" She tried to smile but it turned into a grimace of pain. "I love you honey!"

Leo frowned at that and looked down at Piper to see the confusion on her face as well. Paige and Phoebe were practically crying along with Chris.

"NO! I'm not giving up on you!" Chris vowed. He stood up and raised his head to the ceiling and shouted out.

"Help, someone help!" he cried, tears streaming down his pale face. He hesitated and looked down at Future Piper, seeing her lying there he swallowed and made a decision.

"Dad! Dad please, for once answer me!" he cried and then with one deep breath he let out a huge shout.

"MOM NEEDS YOU!"

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**_Well what do you think? Please don't kill me because of the cliffhanger :D_**


	10. Part 9

_I hope this chapter is alright - I'm a bit worried about it myself. _

_I'd like to thank everyone for their fantastic reviews and I'd also like to apoligise for keeping you hanging - but as I've said to a lot of readers, writing comes quite low on my list of priorities in my life at this moment in time and I rarely have enough time to sit down and write._

_Please let me know what you think of the story - I guess the bad news is that theere are only about another 2 chapters to go after this. But...the good news is that I'm thinking of writing a sequel - thus making 'Gemstones', 'Painful Memories' and '?' a Trilogy._

_Also, sorry in advance for any errors - I didn't get this beta read. _

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**Part 9**

"_Help, someone help!" he cried, tears streaming down his pale face. He hesitated and looked down at Future Piper, seeing her lying there he swallowed and made a decision._

_"Dad! Dad please, for once answer me!" he cried and then with one deep breath he let out a huge shout._

_"MOM NEEDS YOU!"_

"Mmmmmmm Mom!" Piper staggered backwards, bumping into a very rigid and shocked Leo. "Chris is my my my…"

"Your son!" Phoebe blurted out, a mixture of relief, at being able to finally say it out loud, and shock at the scene they had just witnessed.

Paige nodded, "Wyatt's little brother" she added, feeling impelled to point that little fact out.

Piper's face went deathly pale and tears began to fill her eyes as she stared at the brown-haired boy leaning helplessly over his mother's…her dying form.

From somewhere behind her, she heard the whispered words that came from her ex-husband's mouth.

"I can't be"

"Dad? … Please…" How anyone so young could get so much emotion into two such small words was unbelievable. They held a mixture of desperation, confusion, longing but most apparent and heart-wrenching was the tone of betrayal that those words carried.

"Honey – it's too late" The future version of Piper uttered weakly, running a hand gently through the unruly mass that was her son's – Chris, Piper reminded herself – hair.

The boy shook his head violently, tears flowing freely down his face, as he unconsciously leant into the touch. "No – it's not! DAD!"

Piper put her hands to her face still shell-shocked by the revelation. She blinked several times, feeling the tears brimming but not yet falling.

Beside her Phoebe and Paige were crying and shooting glances at their Piper. And Leo – well Leo was just standing there, rooted to the spot, as if Piper had frozen him.

Future Piper sighed, letting her hand slip to cup the boy's face. "Chris please…I'm so sorry this happened" she gasped in an attempt to draw more breath from her weakened body, "sorry you had to witness this…"

"You can't die!" Chris cried with utter desperation, "you just can't"

Future Piper smiled softly and looked into his eyes, she drew in one last breath and said softly, "I love you honey…" Her breath hitched at the last word and her eyes glazed over before closely slowly as he whole body went limp – Piper Halliwell died.

"No…." Chris cried, moving to place his hands upon his mother's chest. "Come one, please just this once – let me heal"

"Oh god" Piper uttered, closing her eyes tightly the tears gliding down her face as she took in the image of the small boy trying in vain to heal his mother.

"Why isn't Leo coming?" Phoebe asked in a hushed voice. Their Leo had paled considerably at seeing the death of his wife and the realisation that Chris Perry was in fact his own son.

"Why doesn't it work?" Chris cried, blood now covering his small hands.

Just then a familiar sound filled the Attic and small blue and white lights appeared and swirled together to form one Leo Wyatt.

"This better be important Chris" The sisters and Leo were shocked to hear unconcerned and slightly annoyed tone in the future Elder's voice.

"This can't be happening" Leo breathed out, at the same time as Piper was muttering "second son….Chris is _our_ son!"

"Dad!" Chris cried in relief and anguish, as he ran towards his father, "Mom, needs you" he added, indicating Future Piper's still form.

"Piper?" Future Leo asked, his eyes widening as he saw her, "Oh my god!" The future Elder ran to his wife's side and placed his hands over the wound. Everyone saw the familiar golden glow that came from his hands as he attempted to heal her.

"What the hell is that?" Paige gasped, pointing at something behind Chris. Her sisters and Leo turned around to see, not only that Chris was no longer a 14 year old, but a large black shadow looming over his shoulder and it was growing with every second.

"I don't know" Phoebe said, she was relieved however that Chris was an adult once again.

"Leo?" Piper asked hesitantly, noticing the scared expression on the Elder's face.

"We've got to snap Chris out of this – now!" Leo said urgently.

"I can't heal her" They all turned round at the defeated future Elder. "Shes…she's gone"

"No!" Came the voice of Chris from behind them, "she can't be."

"Why….why didn't you call me more urgently?" Future Leo said, looking at his son with betrayal and anger.

Taken aback by the harshness of the question, Chris took a step backward before sending an astonished expression his father's way.

"What? What part of 'Dad, Mom needs you', didn't you understand!" he said, his voice catching on the word 'Mom'.

"Well…you could've healed her!" Future Leo shouted back, trying to not think of this being his fault.

"I tried!" Chris cried with anguish, "I can't heal – you know I can't"

"Can't…or won't!"

At that the sisters gasped and sent shocked and appalled expressions their Leo's way - who looked just as shocked and disgusted at the words his future self had just uttered.

"Hey! I'm not the son that killed them!" Chris shouted back, anger colouring his voice as he indicated the other body in the room.

Future Leo glanced at Future Phoebe's body, only just noticing it, he frowned sadly and then cast a bewildered expression Chris's way. "Wyatt? No Wyatt would never hurt family!"

Oh but I would? Chris thought to himself. He's evil!" he said outloud, "Both Mom and Aunt Phoebe knew a few weeks after he killed Aunt Paige!"

"You're lying!" Future Leo shouted angrily, moving so his face was mere inches from Chris's.

"Leo I can't believe you're saying these things" Paige breathed out.

"Or will say them" Phoebe added.

A look of hurt and disgust flittered across Chris's face before anger took over.

"Go to hell – LEO!"

Now it was Future Leo's turn to be taken aback and he spluttered a bit obviously too angry to form a sentence.

"That's _Dad_ to you!"

"You're not my father" Chris shot back, disgust evident in his voice, "not anymore!"

"And what is that suppose to mean!"

Behind the young witch-whitelighter the shadow was growing dramatically in size and on closer inspection, they (the sisters and Leo) could see that Chris had grown incredibly pale – not pale as in pale-faced but his whole body was pale, as if his very life force was being drained.

"We've got to get through to him" Leo cried out, looking panic-stricken at the girls and after realising that they didn't understand like he did, he added, "he's letting himself be consumed!"

"Oh no" Piper gasped, holding her head in her hands.

Phoebe moved closer to the witch-whitelighter. "Chris honey, you've gotta ignore him" she said, looking directly into his eyes.

However Chris ignored her. In fact he didn't even seem like he acknowledged her presence – it was as if she wasn't visible.

The Empath tried again, this time standing between him and Future Leo.

"Chris. Listen to me. He is not your father – this isn't real"

In front of her Chris frowned slightly and his eyes flicked around the room in confusion, as if searching for something.

"Are you listening to me?" Future Leo snapped, earning Chris's attention again.

"He can't see us?" Piper asked in a concerned voice, while shooting an angry glare at the future version of Leo.

"Chris" Paige stepped forward, standing next to Chris, "remember this is a spell, it isn't real!"

"Spell?" Chris questioned softly, squinting at the space where Paige stood.

"What has a spell got to do with anything?" Future Leo growled out.

"Chris listen to me" Leo spoke up, hoping that Chris would focus on his voice because he was hearing his father's voice. "You came to the future to save your brother – to save Wyatt!"

Chris's eyes widened at that and he looked even more confused.

"You recently were trapped in a gemstone" Piper offered.

"Gemstone?" A small smile made its way onto the young man's face, "Phoebe?"

"Remember?" Phoebe said excitedly, "I got to have really cool active powers"

A small laugh escaped him and he nodded, glancing at the ghost-like shapes around him as the sisters and Leo become clearer to him.

"This isn't real"

"That's right" Piper said softly, "just a spell."

Around them the scene of the Attic dissipated and they found themselves once again surrounded by white but they could still see the black shadow hovering over Chris and the young man was extremely pale – although it had certainly shrunk in size.

"Mom?" Chris whispered.

"I'm here Chris" Piper responded, gently touching him, "so are Phoebe, Paige and Leo"

Phoebe placed a comforting hand on the young man and gave it a small squeeze. "Everything's going to be alright Chris"

Behind them the dark shadow began fading away until it had completely disappeared.

Chris looked confused and raised an eyebrow at Piper. Suddenly his eyes widened and he pulled away from her with a panicked expression upon his face.

"Oh god" he gasped out, slowly backing away from the others. "You know!"

"Chris, calm down" Paige said, moving towards him.

"No, no. You're not supposed to know" Chris said, staring at Piper and then turning to met Paige's eyes. "I didn't want them to find out like this Paige!"

"Wait a minute" Piper's voice rang out loudly, earning everyone's attention. "You knew who he was!"

"Ermm Yes" her youngest sister replied sheepishly.

"For how long?"

"Since the gemstones incident"

Phoebe moved to calm her elder sister down. "Honey, I know it's a shock but…"

"Wait! You knew too!"

"Well yeah"

"Since the gemstones incident too?" Leo asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"No…" Phoebe responded meekly, "I found out during my vision quest"

"And you kept this from us!" Piper snapped. "And you!" she said turning abruptly on Chris, "what did we say about keeping secrets?"

"But…this was different"

"How?"

Chris sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Would you have believed me?"

"Of course!"

He raised a sceptical eyebrow at that. "Really? If I had said – 'Hi, I'm Chris Halliwell, your second son that hasn't been born yet and I've come back to stop my big brother from taking over the world'" he said in a mocking tone. "You would have believed me?"

"Well no…not if you had said it like that" Piper replied, rolling her eyes, "but eventually."

"It would've been better than finding out like this" Leo added.

Chris scowled at the Elder. "You think I wanted you to find out like this?" he shouted and then turned to Piper, "you think I wanted you to see how you die!"

"Chris…" Piper breathed out.

"I wanted to tell you – I really did. But it was easier not to. It was easier to…"

"Not get close?" Piper finished for him.

Chris lowered his head and uttered a soft "yes".

Just then the white around them began to dissolve and the familiar sight of the Living Room greeted them.

"Are we back? Is it over?" Paige asked.

"I think so – the spell reached it's end" Leo said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Alright" Piper cried, "Now – let's go vanquish a demoness!"

_**To Be Continued...**_


	11. Part 10

_Sorry for not updating for ages - real life got in the way. Anyway, here's the next part. This story's almost finished now, only the Epilogue left after this...and a planned_ _sequel later in the year._

_

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_  
"Ok, I have the vanquishing potion" Paige said, holding up a vile of dark liquid for the others to see.

"And I," Phoebe said, slamming the Book of Shadows shut as she spoke, "have the spell to go with it."

"Great," Piper exclaimed, "now all we need is a spell to find Parox – shall we?"

"Oo okay – here goes" Phoebe said, moving to stand by her sisters and she smiled as they began to make up a spell. "That memory spell was really nifty…"

"But revealing and painful nonetheless," Piper added, rolling her eyes at her sister's use of 'nifty'.

"So, let us get our revenge quickly…" The quiet voice took them by surprise and they turned to the person who had supplied the line. Chris smiled softly and shrugged at their expressions.

Paige recovered first and with a grin she added the final line to the spell. "And take us to the demoness!"

In a bright flash of light all four witches disappeared from the attic.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Leo cried out before disappearing in a flurry of orbs.

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Meanwhile, in the Underworld an inhuman scream echoed around the many caverns.

"Damn them!" Parox screeched, slapping her hand across the pool's surface splashing water everywhere. "He was mine! He was within my grasp but they had to get through to him."

"He's related to them" the demon stated matter-of-factly.

Parox turned her icy glare his way. "Yes, I saw that" she snapped, "And if the Elder hadn't accepted that, the boy would've been mine! Damn them!"

"So, what now?" the demon asked.

"What now? What NOW!" Parox shouted. She clenched her fist in anger and then threw her hands out angrily. A mass of flames shot out from her hands and engulfed the demon.

"That's 'what now'!" Parox said, looking on impassively as he screamed in agony before finally exploding.

The demoness huffed and turned back to the pool of water, anger seeping from her. She had felt the power seeping into her as it was drained from the boy; the son of a Charmed One and an Elder; and it had been incredible – not as incredible as if he had been the Twice Blessed child but still it would've been enough power for her to do some serious damage. But then they had to ruin everything. He had been hers; there was no doubt; he had all but given in and become consumed by the memory.

The sudden burst of white light took her by surprise and she turned around to face the intrusion. She let out an angry gasp upon seeing the Charmed Ones and Chris.

"Well, well, I must say I didn't expect you so soon," She said, her face devoid of any emotion. "But, then again, I wasn't expecting to see any of you alive - especially the boy" She added, indicating Chris who scowled at the use of the word 'boy'.

"What is with demons calling me 'boy'!" Chris muttered, causing smiles to appear on the Charmed Ones's faces.

Just then Leo orbed in next to them, looking quite unhappy at being left behind.

"Well it took you long enough!" Piper said to him. Leo just looked at her and shook his head in exasperation.

"Now that everyone's here, why don't we get down to business." As she spoke, Parox threw her arm out knocking the sisters and Leo flying across the cavern. She then disappeared in a cloud of smoke and reappeared next to Chris.

"Now, where was I? Oh yes I remember!" she said placing her hand on the side of Chris head; near the temple.

Chris let out a cry of pain and sank down to his knees. Flashes of images bombarded his mind, as he saw his aunt's death, followed swiftly by his mother's and then Leo berating him.

Parox let out a long drawn out gasp of pleasure as she felt the power entering her body. Briefly she thought about why she hadn't done this in the first place but knew the answer to that – she couldn't drain an individual's power and life-force without them already having been in her domain.

Chris could feel himself growing weaker and weaker. In a despreate attempt to break free of Parox's hold, he tried to throw his hand out to unleash his telekinesis but found that he was so weak that he couldn't even raise his hand from where it lay limply by his side.

Parox's gasp of pleasure suddenly turned into a gasp of pain and she opened her eyes and saw Piper standing up with her hands out.

"Get away from my son!" the elder Hallwell growled out before flicking her hands again, trying to blow the demoness up.

Parox rolled her eyes, "You can't blow me up witch – you're about as annoying as a mosquito!"

"How about this instead" Paige shouted, as she threw the potion at the demoness.

Parox let out a yelp of pain and released her hold on Chris, who collapse in a heap on the floor.

"Leo!" Piper cried and the Elder disappeared in a cloud of orbs and reappeared next to Chris, orbing him out of the cavern.

Parox screamed in rage and sent flames hurtling towards the sisters but with a flick of her wrists Piper froze them.

The sisters then began to chant the spell. Parox gasped and looked down at her feet that were beginning to smoke. Soon flames began to rise up her body and her screams of rage turned into ones of pain as the flames rose higher.

As the sisters finished the spell, flames now covered the demoness from head to toe and her screams filled the cavern until she finally exploded, leaving a large scorch mark behind.

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_Sorry It was so short. Please Review!_  



	12. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"How is he?" were the first words out of Piper's mouth when the sisters returned to the Manor.

"A bit drained but otherwise he's fine," Leo replied, moving away from the young witch-whitelighter who was lying asleep on the couch. "He's resting at the moment."

Piper let out a heavy sigh and sank down into a chair, running her hands through her hair.

"How didn't we see it?" she asked about a moment of silence, "I mean the more I look at him I see 'Me'. He has your eyes Leo..."

"And your sarcasm" Leo quipped with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. His thoughts were occupied with all the things he had said to Chris; _"You're not family."_ - how must the young man had felt when Leo had said that to him? He also couldn't stop thinking of his future self's reaction to Chris...what does he turn into? How could he possibly feel that way about his own son!

"Leo?" At hearing his name he turned to look at Piper. "How did he live through all that?" she said, "how did he...his brother turning; watching Wyatt - our Wyatt - _kill_ Phoebe and...and..." Piper closed her eyes in an effort to hold back the tears, "me, dying in his arms..."

"...and then being accused of doing nothing by his father," Leo added grimly.

"Its not your fault Leo" Phoebe spoke up suddenly, "that was you in the future."

"Yeah - you've got time to change it...now we know" Paige interjected.

Leo sighed and hung his head. "I understand why he hates me now"

"I...I...don't _hate_ you," a quiet voice spoke up from the couch with a slight stutter.

"What!"

"I never could...I wanted to..." Chris said, running a hand through his hair as he sat up, "that was the last time I ever called you 'Dad'"

"Chris, I'm so sorry..."

"S'not your fault - hasn't happened yet."

Leo turned to look Chris straight in the eye and there and then made a vow to his future son. "I will not let it happen Chris - I won't turn into _that_ man...I won't let it happen."

"None of us will" Piper added firmly, moving over to hug Chris - who actually let her. "You won't have that future Chris...I promise."

"Thanks...but we still need to find what turns Wyatt" Chris said, reluctantly moving away from his mother's arms, "and we haven't got that long before it happens."

"How do you know?" Paige asked.

"Because it happens sometime before I'm born"

"And..."

"And..." Chris turned to look at Piper.

"Oh my god!" Phoebe gasped.

"Oh my god what!" Piper asked in confusion.

"You're pregnant!"

"No I'm no..." Piper began, only to stop as she caught the expression on Chris's face and he eyes widened. "I'm pregnant?"

Chris nodded, "and we haven't got much time to find out what or who turns Wyatt!"

**...THE END...**

_...To Be Continued in 'Revelations'..._


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